Manufacture of artificial filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets, and like materials



Patented Dec. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT @FFIQE FQILS, SHEETS, AND

LIKE MATERIALS Henry Dreyfus, London, England No Drawing. Original 1932, Serial No.

application October 20,

638,775. Divided and this application August 18, 1934, Serial No.

in Great Britain November 5, 1931 9 Claims.

This invention relates to the use of a new class of organic compounds in the manufacture of products made from or containing filamentforming bases, and is a divisional application of my U. S. application S. No. 638,775 filed 20th October, 1932.

In my U. S. application S. No. 638,775 I have described the manufacture of cyclic ethers obtainable by the condensation of aliphatic compounds containing at least four hydroxy groups, with aldehydes, ketones, glycols or aliphatic polyhydric alcohols, and the use of said ethers in the treatment of filaments, threads, yarns, fabrics and like materials.

I have found that in the production of artificial filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets and like materials having a basis of cellulose acetate or other filament-forming bases, the presence of cyclic ethers of the type referred to above during the formation of the materials exerts a very favourable influence on the properties of the materials. In particular the presence of such cyclic ethers imparts to the materials a very desirable pliability and extensibility, a factor of considerable importance in the subsequent working of the materials, particularly in processes such as knitting.

The present invention therefore comprises a process for the manufacture of filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets and like materials from yarns containing cellulose acetate or other filament-forming base, comprising forming said materials in the presence of cyclic ethers obtainable by the condensation of aliphatic compounds containing at least four hydroxy groups with aldehydes, ketones, glycols or aliphatic polyhydric alcohols. When the artificial materials are manufactured by a wet spinning process the cyclic ethers may be contained either in the spinning solution, or in the coagulating bath, according to the processes of U. S. Patent No. 1,467,493, and U. S. applications S. Nos. 402,785

filed 26th October, 1929, and 418,414, filed 3rd January, 1930, or in both. In dry spinning processes the cyclic ethers are introduced into the spinning solution. In view of the low volatility of the cyclic ethers, it is generally necessary in dry spinning processes to employ them in conjunction with relatively large proportions of considerably more volatile liquids. Such liquids may themselves be solvents for the filamentforming base employed, or may be constituents of a volatile solvent mixture therefor. Among volatile liquids which may be contained in the spinning solution and which are particularly useful when the filament-forming base comprises cellulose acetate, mention may be made of acetone in particular and also'of methyl acetone, methyl and ethyl acetates and methylene and ethylene chlorides, particularly in admixture with ethyl and methyl alcohol. The spinning solution may also contain ethers, esters and ether-esters of olefine and polyolefine glycols, for instance the mono-methyl, dimcthyl and mono-ethyl ethers of ethylene and propylene glycols, glycol monoacetate and ethyl glycol monoacetate. Any of these substances may also be contained in spinning solutions for use in Wet spinning processes, although in such processes the volatility of the solution is of no great importance provided. the solution be sufficiently fluid. Further, any of the substances specified above may be contained in the coagulating baths employed in wet spinning processes. In order to restrict the solvent power of the coagulating bath to the desired degree the presence of a non-solvent for the filament-forming base will in general be necessary. This non-solvent may consist of water or of a non-aqueous liquid, for example benzene, toluene, Xylene or other relatively cheap liquid hydrocarbon. Non-solvents for the filament-forming base may also be contained in thespinning solutions for use in dry spinning processes or those to be employed in wet spinning, provided in the latter case that the spinning solution does not contain substantial quantities of substances insoluble in the coagulating bath.

The following examples illustrate the process of the invention but are not to be regarded as limiting it in any way:-

Example 1 A spinning solution containing parts of cellulose acetate, 350 parts of acetone, 25 parts of water and 25 parts of the cyclic ether obtained by the condensation of erythritol, is spun according to the ordinary dry spinning processes and filaments are obtained which may be stretched to fine denier.

Example 2 acetate in acetone.

product ob- 50 to bring about a stretch. After leaving the feed 5 roller the materials are washed, for example with dilute solution of ethyl lactate, and then dried. If desired the spinning solution itself may also contain a small proportion, for example 2 to 3%, of the erythritol condensation product.

Although the invention has been described above with particular reference to the use of cellulose acetate as the base of the artificial materials to be produced, other filament-forming bases may be employed. Among other cellulose derivatives to which the process of the invention may be applied mention may be made of cellulose formate, propionate and butyrate, cellulose nitrates and cellulose nitro-acetate of low nitrogen content, ethyl, butyl and benzyl cellulose and mixed ether-esters of cellulose, for example oxyethyl cellulose acetate and ethyl cellulose acetate. Other filament-forming bases which may be employed include polymerized vinyl resins, for example polymerized vinyl acetate. The spinning solutions of the invention may also contain suitable resins, for example shellac, dammar, phenol aldehyde resins, both in the Novolak and Resol stage, i. e. as soluble fusible resins which may or may not be convertible to an in soluble and infusible form by heat treatment, and similar resins from other starting materials, for instance from diphenylol propane and formaldehyde or other aldehyde, from urea or thiourea and formaldehyde, from glycerine or other polyhydric alcohol and phthalic acid or other polycarboxylic acid.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

1. Process for the manufacture of filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets and like materials from solutions containing organic solvents and filament-forming bases selected from the group consisting of esters and ethers of cellulose and polymerized vinyl resins, which comprises forming said materials in the presence of a cyclic ether obtainable by the condensation of ,tlfl aliphatic compound containing at least four hydroxy groups with an aliphatic compound containing at least two hydroxy groups.

2. Process for the manufacture of filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets and like materials, which comprises forming said materials from solutions containing filament-forming bases selected from the group consisting of esters and ethers of cellulose and polymerized vinyl resins, organic solvents, and a cyclic ether obtainable by the condensation of an aliphatic compound containing at least four hydroxy groups with an aliphatic compound containing at least two hydroxy groups.

3. Process for the manufacture of filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets and like materials from solutions containing organic solvents and filament-forming bases selected from the group consisting of esters and ethers of cellulose and polymerized vinyl resins, which comprises coagulating said solutions in media two hydroxy groups.

5. Process for the manufacture of filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets and I like materials, which comprises forming said materials from a solution containing cellulose acetate and a cyclic ether obtainable by the condensation of an aliphatic compound containing at least four hydroxy groups with an aliphatic compound containing at least two hydroxy groups.

6. Process for the manufacture of filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets and like materials, which comprises forming said materials from a solution containing an organic derivative of cellulose and a cyclic ether obtainable by the condensation of an aliphatic compound containing at least four hydroxy groups with an aliphatic polyhydric alcohol containing not more than four hydroxy groups.

7. Process for the manufacture of filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets and like materials from solutions containing an organic derivative of cellulose, which comprises coagulating said solutions in media containing 20 to 30% of a cyclic ether obtainable by the condensation of an aliphatic compound containing at least four hydroxy groups with an aliphatic compound containing at least two hydroxy groups.

8. Process for the manufacture of filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets and like materials from solutions containing cellulose acetate, which comprises coagulating said solutions in media containing 20 to 30% of a cyclic ether obtainable by the condensation of an aliphatic compound containing at least four hydroxy groups with an aliphatic compound containing at least two hydroxy groups.

9. Process for the manufacture of filaments, threads, yarns, ribbons, films, foils, sheets and like materials from solutions containing an organic derivative of cellulose, which comprises coagulating said solutions in media containing 20 to 30% of a cyclic ether obtainable by the condensation of an aliphatic compound containing at least four hydroxy groups with an aliphatic polyhydric alcohol containing not more than four hydroxy groups.

HENRY DREYFUS. 

